Tech Q&A: Guy Gear

In this new feature on AskMen.com, our resident tech and gadget experts will answer any questions you have about technology, from the most basic stuff like what's the best MP3 player to the more advanced stuff like building an HTPC. If you would like to ask them something, please post it in a comment below or e-mail it to us at editorial@askmen.com and in our next Tech Q&A, more questions will be answered.

tech q&a

Is Windows 7 worth it? Whether or not Windows 7 is a worthwhile buy depends on what hardware you’re running; a lot of PCs and Intel-based Macs that hum along nicely under XP will choke on Windows 7 because it doesn’t do away with the fundamental system changes that happened between XP and Vista. You’re going to need a gig or two of RAM, 16GB or 20GB free on your hard drive and DirectX 9 graphics. Period. And Windows 7 is an update rather than a whole new game, so whereas it looks fabulous, the compatibility issues that Vista brought are still there. What Windows 7 does give you is a gorgeous user interface full of cool candy like an improved Taskbar, new options for organizing or navigating through open windows, a slick new thumbnail view for tabs in Internet Explorer and a host of other goodies. All for a starting price of $120. Contrast this with Apple’s new Snow Leopard, which costs $29 and adds almost nothing to the existing Mac OS feature set, but is so significantly refined under the hood that it goes like a rat up a rope and frees up 7GB of hard drive space. If you’re happily running XP on an older machine, the same issues that kept you from upgrading to Vista will keep you away from Windows 7. If you have a hot rod on your desk, or you don’t mind spending a bunch on upgrades, then Windows 7 is for you.

I want to build an HTPC. Where do I start? It’s possible to make a home theater PC (HTPC) out of a relatively ho-hum computer, but you probably wouldn’t want to. Your standard PC is designed to maximize performance in a variety of tasks, almost none of which count here. What you want is a system designed around quiet-running and media functionality, as well as one that will look at home in a home theater rather than in an office. There are lots of attractive cases available that are designed for silent-running and media use. For inside the case, putting the operating system on a flash drive (provided your mother board supports this) eliminates the annoying hum created by a spinning hard drive, and because you’re not keeping your media on the flash drive you won’t have to spend a fortune on capacity. You read that right: You’re not putting your media on the same drive. In fact, it’s best to put your media on the highest-capacity external drive you can buy, and put it in a closet to keep things nice and quiet. Lots of people opt for NAS systems for this. However, today's hard drives are relatively quiet and if you're not feeling the flash drive option, your best option is to get an insulated case for your PC. Nowadays, there are motherboards with integrated HTPC capabilities like HD video and surround-capable sound chipsets. This simplifies things. Yes, this also eliminates upgradability, but we’re not building a desktop PC, so it doesn’t matter. Obviously, you will want an HDTV tuner card; these days, a hybrid or combo digital/analogue card is the best choice. Then, all you need is a remote and your choice of media apps and you’re good to go.

What's the best way to back up a computer? Ask any three techies about how to back up a computer, and you’ll get four different answers. However, the basic fact is that it depends: Free online backup services (Mozy, say) are an easy and extremely cost-effective way to back up a specific project or a few files, but if you’re looking to clone a media drive or your whole computer, the limited space and finite bandwidth involved make net-based backups a lousy solution. For these big-ticket backups, you’ll need a second hard drive and some good backup software. There are loads available, and whichever is best for you depends on your needs, the operating system you’re running and the bozo-proofness you expect from your software. Open source or freeware apps are a good way to get started, but with commercial software starting just south of $50, you’ll be tempted to upgrade pretty soon. Of course, Mac OS and Windows both include integrated automatic backup functions: Apple’s Time Machine is straightforward and offers a slick-as-snot interface, while the Windows Backup and Restore Center looks like Windows but works just fine. Both have it where it counts, and neither will cost you a red cent apart from the external drive. Yes, there’s a distinct lack of info here about RAIDs. That’s because it’s better for backing up a server or heavy-duty workstation than a simple desktop or laptop computer. And honestly, if you noticed the lack, you already know all about backing up a computer.

What's the best free antivirus software? If you want to run a virus-free computer, but learning to navigate a UNIX-y operating system like OpenBSD just isn’t in the cards, then you’re going to need protection. And though that protection doesn’t have to cost, it does have to work. So a freeware antivirus (AV) app with a skilled code cowboy keeping it up-to-date should be your baseline. Beyond that, the elegance and useability of the interface, and how much or little the software drags on the speed of your computer are big concerns. Some antivirus suites can really dog the system, causing users to turn them off so that they can enjoy a snappy computing experience — which misses the point of installing AV software in the first place. Some well-known and well-liked free antivirus apps are Comodo Internet Security, the Avast Home Edition and PC Tools’ iAntiVirus for Mac. Also, the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a good, solid solution for some, though it can slow some computers down significantly. Your mileage may vary. Saying which freeware AV solution is empirically best is nigh-on impossible. Computers are unique beasts, each with its own combo of applications and settings. Try out several solutions over a specific period of time. The one that doesn’t slow your computer down too badly, and which has the interface you like best, is the best one for you.